Agreement reached on better protection of consumers

Agreement reached on better protection of consumers

Last evening, the European Parliament and Council reached a political agreement on the Commission’s proposal to improve the EU-wide cooperation mechanism for consumer protection.

These new rules will introduce a quick and more efficient cross-border cooperation mechanism between the national enforcers.

They will have faster tools to react in a joint action when illegal practices are reported by consumers in at least two thirds of the EU countries.

“Strengthened cross-border enforcement is crucial in the digital age where harmful practices can be replicated easily in many countries with just one click,” said Věra Jourová, EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality.

“Enforcement authorities will gain modern tools to protect consumers online, such as the power to remove online shopping scams, as well as in any case of EU-wide infringement of consumer rights.”

For the first time in the case of widespread illegal commercial practices, authorities will be able to accept commitments from traders that they will provide remedies to the consumers affected.

Further work on compensation will be carried out as part of the EU consumer legislation review.

Another change is the creation of a new EU-wide market alert system to detect new threats more rapidly.

It will include evidence sent by consumer and trade associations. This is a significant step towards a fairer and more efficient enforcement of consumer laws across the EU.